Jerry, Janet Hill hired at Windermere; Bench completes service as president

By Word&Way Staff

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Windermere Board of Trustees Chair Arthur Mallory (left) poses with Janet and Jerry Hill, whom the board named vice president of ministry programming and president/CEO respectively.

The Windermere Baptist Conference Center Board of Trustees named Jerry Hill of Nixa as the new president and CEO when they met on the campus on Jan. 24.

Hill’s wife, Janet, was named Windermere’s vice president for ministry programing.

Windermere Trustee Chair Arthur Mallory said trustees see them joining the staff as a team.

Hill’s firm, Modern Development Services of Nixa, had been doing consultative work for Windermere when trustees contracted with him on an interim basis three and a half months ago to handle CEO-related tasks.

Dan Bench has retired after more than 10 years of volunteer service to Windermere, including being president/CEO since 2006.

The new president, whose first day on the job was Jan. 28, worked alongside Dan Bench, who volunteered his services as president beginning in 2006, during the interim. Bench retired from the position, effective last week.

Trustee Chair Arthur Mallory of Springfield said that neither Hill nor trustees envisioned the interim relationship with Hill turning into anything more. But soon it became clear that Hill was the person the board felt it needed as its next leader.

Mallory described the new leader as very hard-working and deeply committed to the conference center’s work. He praised Janet Hill and her credentials in more than 30 years of church ministry, most recently as minister to families at University Heights Baptist Church in Springfield and as a webmaster.

Both Mallory and Jerry Hill praised Bench. “We’ll never be able to thank Dan for the splendid services he has rendered,” said Mallory. Added Hill, “Dan Bench has big shoes to fill. He has been a huge part of Windermere for more than a decade.”